| Revelations 04/07/2001 And they'll be renamed Skywalker
Is the Force a farce or a faith? An e-mail sent out in New Zealand in advance of that country's recent census asked people to write in "Jedi" for their religion. According to the New Zealand newspaper The Evening Post, the message said it was an experiment in the power of e-mail and, if 8,000 New Zealanders filled in their form this way, Jedi would become an officially recognized religion in New Zealand. Jedi-ism will probably never make it in the United States, where the Census does not ask citizens their religious affiliation.
And forever in faith may they wave
Should it be called Cycad Sunday? Many Christians will be waving palm branches in churches on Sunday. Traditional Palm Sunday services celebrate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, where he lived his final days. Scholars have generally said that date palms were waved at Jesus in biblical times. But some biblical botanists have a new theory: Jesus was greeted with cycads (pronounced SY-cads), which look like palms. Evidently, both were grown around Jerusalem at the time Jesus lived. "The dominant view is that the Bible is talking about date palms," said Michele Meyers, librarian for the Herb Society of America, based in Kirkland, Ohio. But cycads have a few voices rooting for them.
More creative, like the Creator
"We need more creative people," Dr. Howard Hendricks told a crowd at the Westin Galleria this week. "I can't believe we're related to such an infinitely creative God and yet we're so boring." Dr. Hendricks – known affectionately as "Prof" at Dallas Theological Seminary – was being feted by seminary president Chuck Swindoll, Dr. James Dobson and a thousand others. To celebrate his 50 years of teaching theology, the seminary kicked off a fund-raising campaign for a $2.5 million endowment. The endowment will fund the Howard Hendricks Chair for Christian Leadership – with Dr. Hendricks as the first recipient – as well as programs at the seminary's Center for Christian Leadership.
Sen. Lieberman coming to Dallas
Senator and one-time vice presidential nominee Joseph Lieberman will talk about "Being Jewish and Proud in Today's World" when he visits Dallas May 31. He'll be the leadoff speaker for The Dallas Area Torah Association's lecture series, which will run through the summer. Speakers include actor and producer Rabbi Asher Sinclair, Dr. Lisa Aiken and Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis, founder of the women's organization Hineni. Call 214-987-3282 or visit www.datanet.org for more information.
In funding we all trust
The Atheist Community of Austin has announced that it's queried the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives about "how our members with educational and social service backgrounds may organize to offer government funded social services in an atheistic context or which encourage clients to become atheists."
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